Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park meet on the bus and though they initially dislike each other soon become friends, and then more than friends. Eleanor is constantly bullied at school and at home by her stepfather. Park is also bullied by his father, who is a bit disappointed in being the father of a small, Korean- looking, music loving geek. Gradually, a relationship develops that becomes the centres of their lives. 

 

This book is one of the best that I have read in a long time.  You really want this young love to work out and the characters are really well-written. A great choice for anyone who loves John Greene books. 

 

 

 

Just Your Average Princess – Kristina Springer

Jamie Edwards loves having grown up in the pumpkin patch and she’s all set to win the biggest honour in Average, Illinois – being crown Pumpkin Princess.  Then her glamorous cousin, Milan, moves from LA to Average and begins to take over.  Milan takes over at the pumpkin patch, gets love from Jamie’s parents, and runs for Pumpkin Princess.  When Jamie finds out the real reason Milan has moved to Average, the two cousins become close friends and plot to find the perfect Pumpkin Princess.

I really enjoyed this book.  Jamie was a funny heroine and I loved to hate Milan for the first 3/4 of the book.  I was really satisfied with the ending of the book.  A nice quick read.  Good for the beach.

Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) – Maureen Fergus

The un-named narrator moves to from Regina to Winnipeg with his parents to run the family business – a chain of stores called the House of Toilets.  When he is forced to volunteer at a soup kitchen because of an indiscretion on his part, the narrator learns that this is a cause he has to care about.

I must admit that I have not hated a character as much since I read Catcher in the Rye.  I wanted to slap the narrator silly as he was the most self-centred and lazy boy I have ever read about.  Until the end of the book, he had no redeeming qualities.  I had to push myself to read the end of the book, just to find out if he would actually act like a human being.

The Lynching of Louie Sam – Elizabeth Stewart

The Lynching of Louie Sam is a fictionalized account of the 1884 lynching of fourteen-year old Louie Sam of the Stó:lō Nation by Americans on Canadian soil. Fifteen-year old George Gillies found James Bell, the man Louie Sam was accused of murdering and was convinced that Louie Sam did it. George then witnesses the lynching, and begins to feel remorse as he realizes that Louie Sam was framed.

I was shocked when I read this novel that it was based on historical fact.  I would not believe that Americans would lynch a young boy to cover up a murder.  I was outraged when reading this book and I found out that the ringleaders were never brought to justice.

A great novel about a tragic time in our history.

Way to Go – Tom Ryan

Seventeen-year-old Danny lives in Cape Breton and he has no idea what he wants to do with his life.  His two best friends have it all figured out, but not him.  When he is forced to get a summer job after a run in with the police, he discovers his love for cooking.  He also realizes that he must reveal the secret he has been harbouring for a while.

I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the protagonist, Danny.  You had to feel for his struggles to determine who he was and what he wanted to do with his life.  I look forward to reading more books by Tom Ryan.

World War Z – Max Brooks

I picked up this book on the recommendation of my teaching partner.  I think zombies are way cooler than vampires!!!

This book is an oral history of the zombie apocalypse.  The narrator travels around the world interviewing people who took part in the war at the beginning, middle, and end of the war.  The interviews are haunting; they include interviews with a survivor from the first zombie attack, to a businessman who made billions selling a cure for zombies, to soldiers who fought the zombies.

I really enjoyed this book.  The author made the possibility of a zombie war so incredibly realistic.  I felt like the events truly happened.  And I still maintain that zombies are way cooler than vampires.

Fat Vampire – Adam Rex

Becoming a vampire is supposed to make you glamorous and beautiful, right?  At least that Stephenie Meyer’s vampires become.  But what happens if you’re a 15-year old nerd who has a weight problem and are bitten by a vampire?  Guess what?  You become a fat vampire.

Doug Lee is said fat vampire and he’s trying to get through high school and get a date with the new Indian exchange student.  Life is a lot harder when you’ve got to feed as well and you refuse to feed on people.  Oh – and there’s also the star of Vampire Hunter looking for you.

Fat Vampire is a really funny book that I enjoyed a lot.  Doug is not the nicest of characters, but he does provide amusement.  Unfortunately, I did not like the ending of the book.  It was ambiguous, which I absolutely hate.  Overall though, I really liked this book.

I’m Back

So, I’ve been a little lazy lately (okay for the last year), and I haven’t posted for over a year.  It’s time to start again.  On Monday, my friend, kc dyer, chided me for not posting for so long.  If you love young adult historical fiction, you’ll love kc’s books.  Check out her blog.

Anyway, back to the book reviews.  I’ve read several books since school ended and I’ll be putting up separate posts for each book.

The Sky is Everywhere – Jandy Nelson

Lennie’s sister has just passed away from a brain aneurysm.  She’s grieving for the loss of her sister, and trying to figure out how she will go on without Bailey.  At the same time, she’s beginnings to have feelings towards Bailey’s boyfriend Toby, and the new cute trumpet player in band, Joe.  Will she figure out what she wants and who she wants to be with? 

I really enjoyed this book.  The writing style was engaging.  I could identify with the band geek in Lennie.  Also, having just lost two important family members in the last seven months, I too, am trying to figure out how to move on.

Pride and Prejudice (Graphic Novel) – Jane Austen; Adapted by Nancy Butler and Hugo Petrus

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books, even though I came to it late in life.  I have always loved to read, but it wasn’t until my thirties that I started to read the classics.

This graphic novel edition of Pride and Prejudice is done by Marvel Comics, so it’s a given that the illustrations will be great.  They are colourful, but not too bright to be deemed out of character for the time period.  I kept on thinking that the main characters looked like superheroes, but maybe that was just me.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.  It was true to the original and the illustrations enhanced the story.